In the microscopic world of semiconductor front-end manufacturing and advanced packaging, Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) equipment is known as the "Planarization Guardian" of Moore's Law.
As logic chip process nodes advance to 3nm and below, and with the explosive growth of 3D NAND, High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), and heterogeneous integration technologies, the physical flatness of wafer surfaces has transitioned from the micrometer scale to the sub-nanometer scale. The CMP process not only determines the physical feasibility of multi-layer interconnects and complex device structures but is also a critical manufacturing step for ensuring Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography depth-of-focus margins and improving yield.
Currently, the global CMP equipment market maintains steady growth driven by both technological iteration and capacity expansion, while exhibiting a competitive landscape characterized by high barriers to entry and high concentration. U.S. and Japanese giants have long dominated the market due to decades of technical accumulation, while Chinese domestic equipment manufacturers have achieved breakthroughs from mature to advanced processes, aided by supply chain security concerns and the local capacity expansion wave.
Physical Limits and Process Foundation: The Irreplaceability of CMP Equipment in Wafer Manufacturing
The CMP process is the only key technology in semiconductor manufacturing capable of achieving global nanometer-level planarization of wafer surfaces. In actual production, CMP equipment presses the wafer against a high-speed rotating platen using a carrier head. Combined with precisely dispensed chemical polishing slurry, it utilizes the synergistic effect of chemical corrosion and mechanical grinding to remove excess surface material, achieving sub-nanometer microscopic flatness.
The drivers behind the exponential increase in CMP equipment usage frequency and technical requirements stem from three dimensions:
First, the extreme constraints on Depth of Focus (DoF). As advanced lithography evolves toward immersion ArF and EUV, the focus depth margin of lithography tools has been compressed to below 100nm. If wafers cannot maintain global flatness after hundreds of deposition and etching steps, cumulative surface topography will exceed the lithography tool's DoF range, directly causing pattern distortion and exposure failure.
Second, multi-layer metal interconnects and RC delay control. In Copper Dual-Damascene processes, height deviations in metal lines translate directly into non-uniform Resistance-Capacitance (RC) delays. CMP equipment must strictly control metal line height deviations within ±1–2 nm across the entire 300mm wafer.
Third, the surge in polishing steps due to process node evolution. Mature processes (such as 8-inch wafers) require approximately 3.7 CMP tools per 10,000 wafers per month (WPM) of capacity. However, in 12-inch advanced process fabs, with the stacking of Shallow Trench Isolation (STI), Inter-Layer Dielectric (ILD), Tungsten/Copper interconnects, and High-k Metal Gate (HKMG) processes, the number of CMP polishing steps required per wafer has surged to 22–28, increasing the demand for CMP equipment to approximately 17.5 units per 10,000 WPM.
Market Size and Industry Landscape: Duopoly Dominance and Localization Breakthroughs
The global CMP equipment market size continues to expand with increasing chip complexity. Research data indicates that the global CMP equipment market size was USD 1.767 billion in 2020, surged to USD 2.783 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach USD 3.61 billion in 2025. The broader market, including polishing and ultra-precision thinning/grinding equipment, is expected to reach USD 1.67 billion in 2026 and grow to USD 2.22 billion by 2031.
Regionally, Asia-Pacific is the largest and fastest-growing market for CMP equipment globally. Mainland China accounts for 25% of global CMP equipment demand, Taiwan for 10%, South Korea for 26%, North America for 13%, and Japan for 9%. Large-scale capacity expansions by domestic wafer fabs such as SMIC, Hua Hong Semiconductor, CXMT, and YMTC have created significant new and replacement demand for CMP equipment. Based on sales data and average equipment prices in the Chinese domestic market, the semiconductor CMP equipment market size in China has reached approximately CNY 15 billion.
For a long time, the global CMP equipment market has formed a highly monopolized "duopoly" structure: Applied Materials (AMAT) from the U.S. and Ebara from Japan collectively hold over 90% of the global market share, with AMAT holding approximately 70% and Ebara holding about 25%. Companies like Peter Wolters from Germany hold about 3% in specific niche segments.
Facing dual blockades in patents and technology by U.S. and Japanese giants, Chinese domestic CMP equipment manufacturers have achieved difficult breakthroughs through independent R&D. Leading domestic players like Hwatsing Technology, leveraging technical accumulation from Tsinghua University, have achieved comprehensive substitution in advanced processes such as 14nm logic chips and 128-layer 3D NAND. This has pushed the localization rate of Chinese CMP equipment from 3% in 2017 to 40% in 2023, with projections reaching 70% by 2027.
Frontier Nodes and Packaging Evolution: GAA, BSPDN, and 3D IC Driving Technological Revolution
The advancement of semiconductor manufacturing toward 2nm and more advanced nodes, along with the popularization of 3D heterogeneous integration, is imposing revolutionary requirements on the mechanical control precision, endpoint detection capabilities, and module integration of CMP equipment.
On the path of planarization technology evolution, traditional planar and FinFET architectures primarily focused on STI, ILD, and copper interconnect planarization. However, as device architectures evolve into the Gate-All-Around (GAA/Nanosheet) era, suspended silicon nanosheet structures are extremely fragile, and lateral shear forces generated by traditional polishing can easily cause structural breakage. Consequently, the latest generation of CMP equipment universally employs intelligent polishing heads with 5 to 8 independent pneumatic zones, combined with dynamic pressure compensation algorithms and highly compliant composite polishing pads, to minimize mechanical stress on the wafer surface while maintaining chemical removal rates.
Entering 2nm and beyond, the introduction of Backside Power Delivery Network (BSPDN) architecture has triggered profound reshaping of physical thinning and polishing processes. BSPDN technology requires flipping the wafer, using CMP and ultra-precision grinding equipment to thin the silicon substrate to the hundred-nanometer level, precisely exposing nano Through-Silicon Vias (nanoTSVs), and then completing the planarization of metal lines and dielectric layers on the backside of the wafer. This process introduces new silicon thinning slurries and backside polishing steps, opening up a new high-growth application field of backside planarization beyond traditional front-end and back-end processes.
Meanwhile, in 3D IC and High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) manufacturing, wafer-level copper-dielectric hybrid bonding technology requires post-polishing wafer surfaces to achieve extreme sub-nanometer roughness (Ra < 0.1 nm) and extremely low Total Thickness Variation (TTV). Traditional separate grinders and CMP equipment pose high risks of particle contamination during wafer transfer. Therefore, "Integrated Grinder-Polishers," which combine ultra-precision grinding, CMP polishing, and multi-stage cleaning on the same platform, have emerged. These equipment significantly reduce wafer transfer wait times and greatly lower defect rates, becoming standard configurations for advanced packaging production lines.
Competitive Strategies and Product Matrix Analysis of Major Equipment Giants
On the global and Chinese CMP equipment stages, companies such as Applied Materials, Ebara, Hwatsing Technology, and ACM Research Shanghai compete comprehensively based on their respective technical routes and platform strategies.
Applied Materials, as the global pioneer in CMP, has long dominated the high-end 300mm polishing market with its classic Reflexion LK platform, Mirra 3400 platform, and the newly launched Opta Quad platform. The Reflexion series features a multi-platen and independent polishing head combination architecture, with polishing heads capable of adjusting air pressure in 5 to 7 independently controlled zones. The equipment integrates highly precise Optical Interference (Laser EPD) and Eddy Current EPD endpoint detection systems, enabling real-time monitoring of material removal thickness and millisecond-level stop-response. For advanced packaging needs, its latest Opta Quad platform emphasizes real-time dynamic monitoring and closed-loop control, allowing the entire process including polishing and post-cleaning to be completed in as little as 60 seconds.
Ebara holds approximately 25% of the global market share in logic foundry and memory chip manufacturing with its F-REX series (e.g., F-REX300XA, F-REX200M2). Ebara adheres to a highly reliable "One Table-One Head" design with dual-module systems, combined with WPH optimized transfer algorithms and Dry-in/Dry-out transfer mechanisms, ensuring high stability and ultimate throughput. Its unique EAC module focuses on Bevel Polishing, effectively eliminating particle contamination caused by wafer edge chipping. Additionally, Ebara offers dry vacuum pumps and exhaust treatment equipment, forming a highly sticky customer ecosystem through Sub-fab infrastructure synergy.
Hwatsing Technology, the absolute leader in Chinese domestic CMP equipment, reported operating revenue of CNY 1.95 billion in the first half of 2025, holding over 40% of the domestic CMP equipment market. The company has launched 300mm polishing platforms such as Universal-300X, Universal-300T, and Universal-300Plus. Its independently developed polishing head features 8 independent pneumatic zones, achieving Critical Dimension Uniformity (CDU) below 0.5nm, with process indicators comparable to international renowned manufacturers. For 3D IC and advanced packaging, Hwatsing Technology introduced the Versatile-GP30012-inch Integrated Grinder-Polisher, deeply integrating ultra-precision grinding, CMP, and cleaning processes, directly breaking the monopoly of foreign equipment in thinning and planarization.
ACM Research Shanghai adopts a differentiated technical route in CMP and peripheral planarization fields, focusing on Stress-Free Polishing (SFP) technology. Addressing the extremely fragile Ultra-Low-k (k < 2.0) dielectrics and copper interconnect structures in nodes below 5nm and 3nm, ACM's SFP technology removes excess copper metal through synergistic electrochemical and thermal vapor phase etching, eliminating mechanical downforce, significantly reducing consumable costs such as slurry, and solving wafer edge removal rate uniformity issues by combining with edge polishers.
Upstream and Downstream Industrial Chain Ecosystem and Equipment-Consumables Collaborative Verification Mechanism
The uniqueness of the CMP process lies in this: the upper limit of equipment performance is determined by the polisher itself, but the lower limit of process yield depends heavily on the compatibility of core consumables such as Slurry, Pad, and Conditioner (Diamond Disc). The entire industry chain forms a tightly coordinated ecosystem consisting of upstream core consumables (Anji Microelectronics' slurries, Hubei Dinglong's pads and diamond discs), midstream CMP equipment platforms (Hwatsing Technology's Universal series), and downstream wafer fabs (SMIC, YMTC, etc.).
In terms of chemical-mechanical synergy between equipment and slurry, the particle size distribution and pH value of nano-abrasives in the slurry determine the chemical corrosion rate. For example, Anji Microelectronics has made major breakthroughs in copper and barrier layer slurries, with products transitioning from stable mass production at 14nm to 10nm/7nm nodes. When designing polishing head flow control and pipeline anti-crystallization systems, equipment manufacturers must match closely with slurry formulations to avoid pipeline crystallization causing wafer surface scratches.
In terms of physical topology coordination between equipment and pads, pad hardness, porosity, and surface groove design directly affect slurry flow and debris removal. Chinese company Hubei Dinglong has achieved full industrial chain localization for polishing pads, with products successfully certified by wafer fabs such as YMTC, SMIC, and CXMT. In CMP equipment delivered by Hwatsing Technology to customers like YMTC, Hubei Dinglong's polishing pads account for up to 60% of procurement share.
Due to the extreme sensitivity of CMP processes to minor defects, wafer fabs typically prefer purchasing process packages verified as a whole under "Equipment-Pad-Slurry." Applied Materials engages in cross-industry cooperation with companies like EPIC Center and SCREEN, while Hwatsing Technology has established close joint verification mechanisms with domestic consumables leaders like Anji Microelectronics and Hubei Dinglong. This ecosystem linkage greatly shortens the certification cycle and online risk for domestic equipment on customer production lines.
Summary and Outlook
The CMP equipment industry is at a golden intersection of technological reshaping and landscape evolution. From a technical perspective, the physical limits of Moore's Law force CMP equipment to evolve towards more precise multi-zone pneumatic control, sub-nanometer endpoint detection, and integrated grinding-polishing. The implementation of frontier technologies such as GAA transistor architecture, BSPDN, and heterogeneous integration hybrid bonding will further expand CMP application scenarios and increase single-unit added value.
From a competitive landscape perspective, although the global CMP equipment market remains dominated by U.S. and Japanese giants, Chinese domestic equipment enterprises represented by Hwatsing Technology have completed domestic substitution in mature and some advanced process nodes. They demonstrate strong risk resistance and expansion capabilities through a platform strategy of "Equipment + Service + Consumables." In the future, vendors capable of deeply integrating hardware precision mechanical control, real-time intelligent algorithms, and upstream-downstream consumables ecosystem synergy will dominate the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing planarization waves.